Friday, February 13, 2009
See ya later!
InfiniteBody blog and Body and Soul podcast are on hiatus for a few weeks while I take a much-needed birding vacation! See you all in March!
"Tomorrow's Legs" last night
There's a lot to admire in Tomorrow's Legs--a new ensemble piece presented by well-regarded choreographer Tiffany Mills this week at Danspace Project. Foremost, it's blessed with performances with courage, resonance, and an air of mystery. Jeffrey Duval, Luke Gutgsell, Whitney Tucker and Petra van Noort are versatile, appealing dancers who deepen and mature into the piece as we watch. Naoko Nagata has contributed some of her most flattering--while still quite quirky--costumes for the two women. And Mills's flashy visual style and rough-hewn movement attack make an irresistible mix. This woman doesn't just use space. She takes charge of it.
I was less convinced by Tomorrow's Legs as an intention and a whole package--an enigmatic collage pieced together from the fragmented fabric of memories associated with various cities--than I was by substantial swatches that felt like they could come from nobody else but Mills. Watch what unfolds when Duval begins to tug Gutgsell's arm; the entire process of getting to the resulting gutsy, risky sequence bursts and reveals itself in your mind. That sequence simultaneously drew me in and distressed me. Likewise, a charged duet involving Duval (obsessed with a science article) and van Noort (glamourously engrossed in dancing the memory of lost teenage love) lucidly articulates their differences and difficulties.
The work, running 60 minutes without intermission, can be seen again tonight and tomorrow, Saturday, at 8:30pm. Click here for ticketing and further information on Mills's Danspace Project season, and here for her company's 2009 calendar.
I was less convinced by Tomorrow's Legs as an intention and a whole package--an enigmatic collage pieced together from the fragmented fabric of memories associated with various cities--than I was by substantial swatches that felt like they could come from nobody else but Mills. Watch what unfolds when Duval begins to tug Gutgsell's arm; the entire process of getting to the resulting gutsy, risky sequence bursts and reveals itself in your mind. That sequence simultaneously drew me in and distressed me. Likewise, a charged duet involving Duval (obsessed with a science article) and van Noort (glamourously engrossed in dancing the memory of lost teenage love) lucidly articulates their differences and difficulties.
The work, running 60 minutes without intermission, can be seen again tonight and tomorrow, Saturday, at 8:30pm. Click here for ticketing and further information on Mills's Danspace Project season, and here for her company's 2009 calendar.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Can I get a SoundCheck?
Delightful Body and Soul interviewee and annual Tap City producer-MC Tony Waag has done it again! His American Tap Dance Foundation launches a new series--Soundcheck--tonight at dance-historic Judson Memorial Church. Read on for details!
*****************
SOUNDCHECK
February 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8pm
ATDF Benefit, February 18 at 7 PM
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South, Manhattan
55 Washington Square South, Manhattan
800-838-3006
Online ticketing and further information
Why a new tap dance series? The ever innovative director of American Tap Dance Series, Tony Waag, felt the need for new tap works based on theatrical concepts, noting that for more than a century, tap has fought for its place on the legitimate stage. In a feature article in Backstage entitled "Good News for the New Year," Waag remarked that "there is a consensus among tap artists today that there's a need for more production opportunities for conceptual pieces. We need to show that there's more to tap dance than just a line-up of soloists improvising. A lot of tap dancers have been working on making more conceptual work--pieces the involve a more theatrical process, that use story lines or dramatic themes, and include singing and acting." (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage, January 1, 2009).
The groundbreaking new series will feature new works by both artists well known in the tap world:
February 12: "W-L-U-V" by Christopher Scott, performed by Kendrick Jones, Michaela Marino-Lerman, Baakari Wilder, Carson Murphy, Melinda Sullivan, and Scott in "rhythms of love." They share the evening with "Stop Look Listen" choreography by Katherine Kramer and music by Lanzallamas. A playful journey in a dangerous world for 4 dancers and 6 musicians performing "afro-brazilian-gypsy" music.
February 13: "Heeling Powers--rhythms of the left brain"--a collaboration of tapper, filmmaker, vaudevillian Joshua Hilberman and young pianist Paul Arslanian, and"Primordial Memories," choreography and performance by tap legend Brenda Bufalino, joined by Tap City Youth Ensemble.
February 19: "Stages," choreographed by Barbara Duffy, performed by her company, exploring love, friendship, self-doubt and the courage to express one's true identity; and "Time Step," by Ryan Kasprzak, Brent McBeth, and Derek Roland, known as Parallel Exit, the story of three hoofers!
February 20: "Tapsploitation," Michaela Marino-Lerman and partner in a search for meaning and personal identity in 1970's urban America; sharing the evening with"RumbaTap," Max Pollak's international group of tappers, musicians, and vocalists that merges tap with Afro-Cuban music and dance.
February 18 Benefit: A fabulous line-up of artists in a grand evening to benefit the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund and ATDF's ongoing education programs. New works and performances by: Chloe Arnold, Barbara Duffy & Company, Derick K. Grant, Kendrick Jones, Parallel Exit, Melinda Sullivan, Jason Samuels Smith, Dormishia Sumbry Edwards, and Tap City Youth Ensemble.
Online ticketing and further information
Why a new tap dance series? The ever innovative director of American Tap Dance Series, Tony Waag, felt the need for new tap works based on theatrical concepts, noting that for more than a century, tap has fought for its place on the legitimate stage. In a feature article in Backstage entitled "Good News for the New Year," Waag remarked that "there is a consensus among tap artists today that there's a need for more production opportunities for conceptual pieces. We need to show that there's more to tap dance than just a line-up of soloists improvising. A lot of tap dancers have been working on making more conceptual work--pieces the involve a more theatrical process, that use story lines or dramatic themes, and include singing and acting." (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage, January 1, 2009).
The groundbreaking new series will feature new works by both artists well known in the tap world:
February 12: "W-L-U-V" by Christopher Scott, performed by Kendrick Jones, Michaela Marino-Lerman, Baakari Wilder, Carson Murphy, Melinda Sullivan, and Scott in "rhythms of love." They share the evening with "Stop Look Listen" choreography by Katherine Kramer and music by Lanzallamas. A playful journey in a dangerous world for 4 dancers and 6 musicians performing "afro-brazilian-gypsy" music.
February 13: "Heeling Powers--rhythms of the left brain"--a collaboration of tapper, filmmaker, vaudevillian Joshua Hilberman and young pianist Paul Arslanian, and"Primordial Memories," choreography and performance by tap legend Brenda Bufalino, joined by Tap City Youth Ensemble.
February 19: "Stages," choreographed by Barbara Duffy, performed by her company, exploring love, friendship, self-doubt and the courage to express one's true identity; and "Time Step," by Ryan Kasprzak, Brent McBeth, and Derek Roland, known as Parallel Exit, the story of three hoofers!
February 20: "Tapsploitation," Michaela Marino-Lerman and partner in a search for meaning and personal identity in 1970's urban America; sharing the evening with"RumbaTap," Max Pollak's international group of tappers, musicians, and vocalists that merges tap with Afro-Cuban music and dance.
February 18 Benefit: A fabulous line-up of artists in a grand evening to benefit the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund and ATDF's ongoing education programs. New works and performances by: Chloe Arnold, Barbara Duffy & Company, Derick K. Grant, Kendrick Jones, Parallel Exit, Melinda Sullivan, Jason Samuels Smith, Dormishia Sumbry Edwards, and Tap City Youth Ensemble.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Volunteer with Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition
Performance artist Annie Lanzillotto sent the following interesting announcement and appeal. As an ILGWU baby, I also feel strongly that this is an important commemoration.
*****************************************
Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition Get involved in this living history project:
Immediately we seek organizations to sign onto the project for our launch at The Judson Church, NYC this March (date and time TBA). This will be a gathering of the minds, where New Yorkers and organizations come together creatively to plan for the future. Participating organizations already include: CityLore, Gotham Center, MALIA Collective of Italian American Women, Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies (CUNY), The Reliquary Museum, Street Cry Productions. We are actors, agitators, artists, educators, descendants of the victims, writers, filmmakers, historians, organizers, and photographers joined together to honor the memory of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 and to keep the spirit of their sacrifice alive. Of the 146 deaths, three sets of sisters died in the fire: Bettina and Frances Miale, Lucia and Rosaria Maltese, and Sara and Tessie Saracino. Their deaths ignited the labor movement and fire safety laws. The disastrous factory fire led to some of the first city, state, and federal laws dealing with workers safety and the growth of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. The "Factory Investigating Commission" was formed pushing through sweeping labor and safety laws that would transform the workplace. The new laws focused on protecting human beings over buildings. We are working toward the Centenary Memorial event March 2011.
The Triangle Fire Remembrance Coalition
Facebook Group: Remember The Triangle Fire
Street Pictures
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
*****************************************
Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition Get involved in this living history project:
- Join the Facebook group: Remember The Triangle Fire.
- Sign your organization on as a participating group.
- Attend the brainstorm launch this March at The Judson Church.
- To donate food, drink, cash or skills for the event, contact: ruth@streetpictures.com
Immediately we seek organizations to sign onto the project for our launch at The Judson Church, NYC this March (date and time TBA). This will be a gathering of the minds, where New Yorkers and organizations come together creatively to plan for the future. Participating organizations already include: CityLore, Gotham Center, MALIA Collective of Italian American Women, Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies (CUNY), The Reliquary Museum, Street Cry Productions. We are actors, agitators, artists, educators, descendants of the victims, writers, filmmakers, historians, organizers, and photographers joined together to honor the memory of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 and to keep the spirit of their sacrifice alive. Of the 146 deaths, three sets of sisters died in the fire: Bettina and Frances Miale, Lucia and Rosaria Maltese, and Sara and Tessie Saracino. Their deaths ignited the labor movement and fire safety laws. The disastrous factory fire led to some of the first city, state, and federal laws dealing with workers safety and the growth of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. The "Factory Investigating Commission" was formed pushing through sweeping labor and safety laws that would transform the workplace. The new laws focused on protecting human beings over buildings. We are working toward the Centenary Memorial event March 2011.
The Triangle Fire Remembrance Coalition
Facebook Group: Remember The Triangle Fire
Street Pictures
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Art down under(ground)
Courtesy of MoMA, Riding the Subway and Rubbing Shoulders With Picasso
by Randy Kennedy, The New York Times, February 9, 2009
by Randy Kennedy, The New York Times, February 9, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
"Carmen & Geoffrey" doc opens March 13
Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob open their documentary Carmen & Geoffrey at New York's Quad Cinema on March 13. The film traces the career and love story of Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder, dazzling stars of concert dance, Broadway, television and film.
The film contains rare dance footage from the 1950s and 1960s, both solos and duets, featuring Alvin Ailey, Herbert Ross, Lester Horton, Joe Layton, Duke Ellington and Josephine Baker in Paris, among others. There are also contemporary works, including Carmen’s on-going partnership with Gus Solomons jr and Dudley Williams and a sampling of Carmen’s and Geoffrey’s current choreographies.
Filmmaker Bios
Filmmaker Linda Atkinson first met Carmen and Geoffrey while studying acting at the Yale School of Drama. She graduated with an MFA, having won the Carol Dye Acting Prize. She has performed around the country at theatres including The Old Globe, the Yale Rep., the Indiana Rep., the Folger, and the Alaska Rep, New York’s Playwright’s Horizons, Manhattan Theater Club, The Public, and with Lyn Austin’s Lenox Theater Group. She began directing theatre in 1983 and worked at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Indiana Rep, the Peterborough Players, WestBank Theater Bar and for NBC’s Another World. Working with her husband, Nick Doob, she produced a prize winning series of health-related documentaries for high school students. She has recently directed an original play, FINEPRINT, at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. She is currently producing a film based on Robert Coles’s Women of Crisis.
Nick Doob has been a director, cinematographer and editor on numerous award-winning films. He has shot four Oscar nominated films including From Mao to Mozart, which won the Oscar. He directed Down from the Mountain with D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, and Elaine Stritch at Liberty, which won an Emmy. He has shot a number of Pennebaker-Hegedus films, including Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973), The War Room (1993), and directed with Chris Hegedus, Al Franken: God Spoke. In 2000 he won an Emmy as a producer on American High, the acclaimed verité TV series. For HBO he co-directed A Boy’s Life with Rory Kennedy and is currently directing and producing a film about Alzheimer’s Disease for HBO.
CARMEN & GEOFFREY
2006, 80 Minutes, Color, Digital Beta, 4:3, Stereo
A Film by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob
With: Carmen de Lavallade; Geoffrey Holder; Boscoe Holder; Leo Holder; Gus Solomons jr; Dudley Williams; Judith Jamison; Jennifer Dunning; Alvin Ailey; Josephine Baker
Photography: Nick Doob
Additional Photography: Leo Holder; Ron Gray
Sound: Linda Atkinson
Editing: Nick Doob
Quad Cinema
34 West 14th Street (east of Sixth Avenue)
Manhattan
Advance sales: 777-FILM #636 or MOVIETICKETS.COM
Filmmaker Bios
Filmmaker Linda Atkinson first met Carmen and Geoffrey while studying acting at the Yale School of Drama. She graduated with an MFA, having won the Carol Dye Acting Prize. She has performed around the country at theatres including The Old Globe, the Yale Rep., the Indiana Rep., the Folger, and the Alaska Rep, New York’s Playwright’s Horizons, Manhattan Theater Club, The Public, and with Lyn Austin’s Lenox Theater Group. She began directing theatre in 1983 and worked at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Indiana Rep, the Peterborough Players, WestBank Theater Bar and for NBC’s Another World. Working with her husband, Nick Doob, she produced a prize winning series of health-related documentaries for high school students. She has recently directed an original play, FINEPRINT, at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. She is currently producing a film based on Robert Coles’s Women of Crisis.
Nick Doob has been a director, cinematographer and editor on numerous award-winning films. He has shot four Oscar nominated films including From Mao to Mozart, which won the Oscar. He directed Down from the Mountain with D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, and Elaine Stritch at Liberty, which won an Emmy. He has shot a number of Pennebaker-Hegedus films, including Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973), The War Room (1993), and directed with Chris Hegedus, Al Franken: God Spoke. In 2000 he won an Emmy as a producer on American High, the acclaimed verité TV series. For HBO he co-directed A Boy’s Life with Rory Kennedy and is currently directing and producing a film about Alzheimer’s Disease for HBO.
CARMEN & GEOFFREY
2006, 80 Minutes, Color, Digital Beta, 4:3, Stereo
A Film by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob
With: Carmen de Lavallade; Geoffrey Holder; Boscoe Holder; Leo Holder; Gus Solomons jr; Dudley Williams; Judith Jamison; Jennifer Dunning; Alvin Ailey; Josephine Baker
Photography: Nick Doob
Additional Photography: Leo Holder; Ron Gray
Sound: Linda Atkinson
Editing: Nick Doob
Quad Cinema
34 West 14th Street (east of Sixth Avenue)
Manhattan
Advance sales: 777-FILM #636 or MOVIETICKETS.COM
Eva's Book Club (2)
Dance folks, what are you reading?
Latest on my nightstand:
How Beautiful It Is And How Easily It Can Be Broken by Daniel Mendelsohn (HarperCollins, 2008)
Well-reasoned and instructive, lucid and illuminating critical essays across artistic disciplines. Highly recommended.
Just completed:
Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West by Erin Hogan (The University of Chicago Press, 2008)
Use the Comments feature to tell us what you're reading!
Latest on my nightstand:
How Beautiful It Is And How Easily It Can Be Broken by Daniel Mendelsohn (HarperCollins, 2008)
Well-reasoned and instructive, lucid and illuminating critical essays across artistic disciplines. Highly recommended.
Just completed:
Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West by Erin Hogan (The University of Chicago Press, 2008)
Use the Comments feature to tell us what you're reading!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Safeguarding culture during war
War and Culture: Senate acts to safeguard past during conflicts
C. Brian Rose, Archaeology, January/February 2009
C. Brian Rose, Archaeology, January/February 2009
chelfitsch Theater Company at Japan Society
And while we're on the subject of Japan Society...
Toshiki Okada's movement-rich chelfitsch Theater Company closes its too-brief run tonight at Japan Society with a 7:30 performance of Five Days in March. Written and directed by Okada, this 2004 work fractures and complicates a banal, meandering narrative of clueless young Japanese hipsters and their five-day sexual marathon, set against the faint, distant backdrop of Bush's relentless drive towards invasion of Iraq.
The performance runs a longer-feeling 90 minutes with an intermission. It's spoken in Japanese with supertitles (translation by Aya Ogawa).
The slacker style of storytelling--as reproduced by Okada and Ogawa--is deeply lulling, and you might get a little lost as the actors continually flow in and out of character. I'd advise not getting terribly caught up in the supertitles and their flattened narrative and missing the sound of the Japanese or the remarkable accumulation of the physical elements of this theater. These are good reasons to stay alert.
The movement--starting so small, so naturalistic and subtle, you think it's just a few physical tics--gradually becomes riveting. After a long while of focusing on the words, I gave up and gave my attention over to the movement. Although it has no literal bearing on the storyline, it speaks for and of itself, depicting something of the bodily underpinning of character. It is lit in suitably shifting tones, luscious and perfect.
Okada's talented troupe includes Taichi Yamagata, Hiromasa Shimonishi, Kohei Matsueda, Tomomitsu Adachi, Riki Takeda and two women actors--the performers I found most interesting--Luchino Yamazaki and Izumi Aoyagi.
Five Days in March concludes tonight at 7:30pm. For ticketing, call 212-715-1258 or visit Japan Society.
Japan Society
333 East 47th Street (between First and Second Avenues)
Manhattan
Toshiki Okada's movement-rich chelfitsch Theater Company closes its too-brief run tonight at Japan Society with a 7:30 performance of Five Days in March. Written and directed by Okada, this 2004 work fractures and complicates a banal, meandering narrative of clueless young Japanese hipsters and their five-day sexual marathon, set against the faint, distant backdrop of Bush's relentless drive towards invasion of Iraq.
The performance runs a longer-feeling 90 minutes with an intermission. It's spoken in Japanese with supertitles (translation by Aya Ogawa).
The slacker style of storytelling--as reproduced by Okada and Ogawa--is deeply lulling, and you might get a little lost as the actors continually flow in and out of character. I'd advise not getting terribly caught up in the supertitles and their flattened narrative and missing the sound of the Japanese or the remarkable accumulation of the physical elements of this theater. These are good reasons to stay alert.
The movement--starting so small, so naturalistic and subtle, you think it's just a few physical tics--gradually becomes riveting. After a long while of focusing on the words, I gave up and gave my attention over to the movement. Although it has no literal bearing on the storyline, it speaks for and of itself, depicting something of the bodily underpinning of character. It is lit in suitably shifting tones, luscious and perfect.
Okada's talented troupe includes Taichi Yamagata, Hiromasa Shimonishi, Kohei Matsueda, Tomomitsu Adachi, Riki Takeda and two women actors--the performers I found most interesting--Luchino Yamazaki and Izumi Aoyagi.
Five Days in March concludes tonight at 7:30pm. For ticketing, call 212-715-1258 or visit Japan Society.
Japan Society
333 East 47th Street (between First and Second Avenues)
Manhattan
Japan Society names new president
Japan Society Names Motoatsu Sakurai as Its New President
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, February 6, 2009
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, February 6, 2009
Vandenbroucke reflects on Hurlin
Disfarmer by Dan Hurlin
by Aynsley Vandenbroucke, Reflections on Dance, February 6, 2009
by Aynsley Vandenbroucke, Reflections on Dance, February 6, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Harlem (and Lincoln) on his mind
On Tuesday, February 17, innovative dance artist, director and activist Bill T. Jones continues his Breaking Ground series at Harlem Stage with a panel/community conversation about Harlem and Abraham Lincoln. Jones is working on a new piece, Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray, inspired by the life and legacy of Lincoln. The Harlem Stage event will include a reading of select documents from the era.
The evening begins at 7:30pm, and panelists include Barnet Schecter, historian and author of The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America; and Michele Mitchell, Associate Professor of History at New York University and author of Righteous Propagation: African Americans & the Politics of Racial Destiny After Reconstruction.
Admission is $15. For ticketing, directions and other information, visit the Harlem Stage Web site.
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
West 135th StreetConvent Avenue
The evening begins at 7:30pm, and panelists include Barnet Schecter, historian and author of The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America; and Michele Mitchell, Associate Professor of History at New York University and author of Righteous Propagation: African Americans & the Politics of Racial Destiny After Reconstruction.
Admission is $15. For ticketing, directions and other information, visit the Harlem Stage Web site.
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
West 135th Street
Why not blog about it?
The Dance Enthusiast has put out a call for guest bloggers on any topic, particularly the effects of the current recession. See this notice from editor Christine Jowers:
"For those of you who have expressed interest please contact info@dance-enthusiast.com to get a password to enter the bloggers portion of our site where you will be able to write and submit your entry. We would love to hear what you have to say on any topic that interests you. I am especially interested right now in how the recession is affecting all of you performers/enthusiasts. Do you have any creative ideas of how to deal with it? I am looking forward to your guest blogs (on whatever topic).
"Be Well, Happy Dancing Dreams,
Christine"
"For those of you who have expressed interest please contact info@dance-enthusiast.com to get a password to enter the bloggers portion of our site where you will be able to write and submit your entry. We would love to hear what you have to say on any topic that interests you. I am especially interested right now in how the recession is affecting all of you performers/enthusiasts. Do you have any creative ideas of how to deal with it? I am looking forward to your guest blogs (on whatever topic).
"Be Well, Happy Dancing Dreams,
Christine"
Celebrating 92Y Harkness
From Martha Graham to current company-in-residence, Doug Varone and Dancers, the grand history of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center will be celebrated in Spirit of 92nd Street: The Harkness Dance Center at 75--on SundayArts (Thirteen/WNET). The half-hour documentary runs at noon on Sunday, February 15 and Sunday, March 8.
92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center
92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center
NYPL celebrates designing women
Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance through May 2 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
Click here for directions, hours and further information.
Click here for directions, hours and further information.
Yvonne Meier's "Stolen"
Stolen opens in the dark with several regular blasts of super-amplified vocal noise from the commanding Sudanese soul singer Alsarah, a bracing sonic environment, and you sit there, helplessly counting the onrushing blasts, praying that the last you've heard will be the last indeed, not knowing, of course, that you've innocently wandered into a savage expanse of space and there's no escaping the plump, fertile, wacky and uncensorable mind of Yvonne Meier, the dancer-choreographer dressed in a t-shirt perhaps honoring one notoriously irritable, mayor-biting groundhog and accompanied by the always-game and valiant madman, dancer-in-extremis Arturo Vidich and the considerably calmer, more efficient Aki Sasamoto, all in a Kathy Kaufmann-illuminated terrain pelted from above by a load of insulting shoes.
Meier. Gotta love 'er.
Time cost is only 45 minutes. You can do this. Danspace Project tonight and tomorrow at 8:30pm.
Meier. Gotta love 'er.
Time cost is only 45 minutes. You can do this. Danspace Project tonight and tomorrow at 8:30pm.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Classical TV: performing arts online
The brand new Classical TV site promises streams of "spectacular opera, ballet, and classical music performances" for "arts enthusiasts worldwide." Elsewhere, I've read that there will be jazz and theater, too. Nice.
Currently on tap: La Boheme, "the world's most romantic opera--a complimentary stream of the opening night at the English National Opera available until 2nd March 2009." For some reason, I wasn't able to get this stream streaming. Not even a trickle. But perhaps you'll have better luck. I do intend to return to Classical TV when I can get it cranking just right.
Currently on tap: La Boheme, "the world's most romantic opera--a complimentary stream of the opening night at the English National Opera available until 2nd March 2009." For some reason, I wasn't able to get this stream streaming. Not even a trickle. But perhaps you'll have better luck. I do intend to return to Classical TV when I can get it cranking just right.
Volunteer with Belilove's Isadora Duncan Dance Company
Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company will be performing at Judson Church, 55 Washington Square South, March 11-15, with five evening performances and a Saturday matinee.
From February 23 through March 10, volunteers are needed for postcard and poster distribution in businesses (cafes, etc.) around Washington Square and adjacent neighborhoods (time commitment varies and is flexible).
From March 11 through 15, volunteers are also needed to assist in the set up and/or break down of chairs (time commitment is set and based on performance time).
Click here for more information on IDDC.
Address all emails to Alison at info@isadoraduncan.org.
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
Help is on the way: Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center 'Crisis' Project Throws a Lifeline to Arts Groups
by Jacqueline Trescott, The Washington Post, February 4, 2009
Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative
by Jacqueline Trescott, The Washington Post, February 4, 2009
Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Another one bites the dust
Venerable Bookstore to Close in Village
by Sewall Chan, The New York Times, February 3, 2009
by Sewall Chan, The New York Times, February 3, 2009
Zollar's UBW seeks new ED
This announcement just in from Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's Urban Bush Women:
After 7 1/2 years with Urban Bush Women, Executive Director Amy Cassello has decided to step down in favor of seeking new challenges in this tremendous era of change inspired by the election of President Obama. The Board of Directors has thereby launched a search for new administrative leadership.
The Executive Director of Urban Bush Women is responsible for partnering with the founding Artistic Director and Board of Directors to establish the vision and strategic direction that will support and achieve the mission of the organization.
The Executive Director has primary responsibility for development and fundraising, budget management, staffing, marketing/branding, strategic positioning and operating support of all community engagement programs and performances ensuring they fulfill and remain aligned with the organization's strategic vision and mission. The Executive Director is also the principle professional representative of Urban Bush Women in the communities where we are located, perform and conduct community engagement programs.
UBW is seeking a person with a broad range of skills and experience. The successful candidate will be able to complement and augment his/her own skills by working within the organization's budget to develop a well-rounded staff. The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Directors.
For a full job description and application materials, please visit Urban Bush Women on the Web.
After 7 1/2 years with Urban Bush Women, Executive Director Amy Cassello has decided to step down in favor of seeking new challenges in this tremendous era of change inspired by the election of President Obama. The Board of Directors has thereby launched a search for new administrative leadership.
The Executive Director of Urban Bush Women is responsible for partnering with the founding Artistic Director and Board of Directors to establish the vision and strategic direction that will support and achieve the mission of the organization.
The Executive Director has primary responsibility for development and fundraising, budget management, staffing, marketing/branding, strategic positioning and operating support of all community engagement programs and performances ensuring they fulfill and remain aligned with the organization's strategic vision and mission. The Executive Director is also the principle professional representative of Urban Bush Women in the communities where we are located, perform and conduct community engagement programs.
UBW is seeking a person with a broad range of skills and experience. The successful candidate will be able to complement and augment his/her own skills by working within the organization's budget to develop a well-rounded staff. The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Directors.
For a full job description and application materials, please visit Urban Bush Women on the Web.
Petit's high-wire dance opens BAC film series
It's probably not the sanest thing to fall head over heels in love with wirewalker Philippe Petit. Man on Wire--the suspenseful, Oscar-nominated documentary directed by James Marsh--tells the fascinating back story of Petit's illegal, triumphant dance across a wire stretched between the towers of the World Trade Center. It also demonstrates why you might want to steer clear of this obsessive at the same time that it renders you--like his then-lover Annie Allix and his merry band of accomplices--totally incapable of resisting a man of such heroic imagination, craftiness and discipline.
So, don't risk it. Don't see it...
No! Scratch that! Definitely see it!
Be one of the first to welcome in BAC FLICKS, the new film-and-conversation series presented by Baryshnikov Arts Center in partnership with La Cinémathèque de la Danse (Paris). On Friday, February 13 (7pm), BAC will screen Man on Wire, followed by a Q&A with Petit and
a reception hosted by Les Trois Petits Cochons.
BAC Flicks, a film series comprising four presentations each season, will feature culturally significant films and rare cinematic treasures from the archives of the La Cinémathèque de la Danse that may not otherwise have the opportunity to be seen in the United States. A talk with the director or subject of the film will be included as part of each presentation.
Philippe Petit, universal poet laureate of the high wire, was born in France. On August 7, 1974, Petit walked a high wire illegally stretched between the rooftops of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of New York. His book, To Reach the Clouds, which recounts Philippe’s WTC adventure, is the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Man On Wire, and a feature film with a tentative release date of 2012.
To Reach the Clouds, re-titled as Man On Wire, was recently released in paperback. Petit has performed on the high wire more than 80 times around the globe, crowning with his wire such architectural monuments as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sydney Harbour Bridge and creating unique artworks for such momentous events as the French Bicentennial at the Eiffel Tower witnessed by 250,000 spectators, and the 1200th anniversary celebration of the city of Frankfurt before an audience of 500,000. He has done more than a dozen walks in New York City, where he has been an Artist-In-Residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine since 1982. Philippe was presented with the prestigious James Parks Morton Interfaith Award, is the recipient of the New York Historical Society Award, and was recently made Chevalier des Arts & des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
BAC FLICKS program Information
February 13 (7PM): Man on Wire (2008)
Directed by: James Marsh
Running time: 94 minutes
Followed by a Q&A with Philippe Petit
Reception hosted by Les Trois Petits Cochons
April 9, 10, and 11 (7PM): Lucinda (1978)
Directed by Cynthia Hampton
Including a discussion with Lucinda Childs
Ticket Information
Reservations are required. A donation of $20 per ticket is suggested to help support artistic programs at BAC. To make a reservation, please call 646-731-3218.
Baryshnikov Arts Center
Howard Gilman Performance Space
450 W. 37th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), 4th Floor, Manhattan
So, don't risk it. Don't see it...
No! Scratch that! Definitely see it!
Be one of the first to welcome in BAC FLICKS, the new film-and-conversation series presented by Baryshnikov Arts Center in partnership with La Cinémathèque de la Danse (Paris). On Friday, February 13 (7pm), BAC will screen Man on Wire, followed by a Q&A with Petit and
a reception hosted by Les Trois Petits Cochons.
BAC Flicks, a film series comprising four presentations each season, will feature culturally significant films and rare cinematic treasures from the archives of the La Cinémathèque de la Danse that may not otherwise have the opportunity to be seen in the United States. A talk with the director or subject of the film will be included as part of each presentation.
Philippe Petit, universal poet laureate of the high wire, was born in France. On August 7, 1974, Petit walked a high wire illegally stretched between the rooftops of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of New York. His book, To Reach the Clouds, which recounts Philippe’s WTC adventure, is the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Man On Wire, and a feature film with a tentative release date of 2012.
To Reach the Clouds, re-titled as Man On Wire, was recently released in paperback. Petit has performed on the high wire more than 80 times around the globe, crowning with his wire such architectural monuments as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sydney Harbour Bridge and creating unique artworks for such momentous events as the French Bicentennial at the Eiffel Tower witnessed by 250,000 spectators, and the 1200th anniversary celebration of the city of Frankfurt before an audience of 500,000. He has done more than a dozen walks in New York City, where he has been an Artist-In-Residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine since 1982. Philippe was presented with the prestigious James Parks Morton Interfaith Award, is the recipient of the New York Historical Society Award, and was recently made Chevalier des Arts & des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
BAC FLICKS program Information
February 13 (7PM): Man on Wire (2008)
Directed by: James Marsh
Running time: 94 minutes
Followed by a Q&A with Philippe Petit
Reception hosted by Les Trois Petits Cochons
April 9, 10, and 11 (7PM): Lucinda (1978)
Directed by Cynthia Hampton
Including a discussion with Lucinda Childs
Ticket Information
Reservations are required. A donation of $20 per ticket is suggested to help support artistic programs at BAC. To make a reservation, please call 646-731-3218.
Baryshnikov Arts Center
Howard Gilman Performance Space
450 W. 37th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), 4th Floor, Manhattan
DTW makes dance more affordable
Dance Theater Workshop will offer tickets to performances in its Bessie Schönberg Theater for $10 online and $15 through the box office between now and the end of March. Said Executive Director Andrea Sholler, “It’s cold out and the economy is in a downward spiral, but great art is being created and performed, and we want to share it with as many people as possible.”
Available performances:
Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey: February 12-14 (Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm)
Dean Moss and Yoon Jim Kim: February 25-28 (Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm)
Sasa Asentic: March 5-7 (Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm)
Ivy Baldwin Dance: March 18-21 (Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30pm)
Purchase tickets online, over the phone at 212-924-0077, or in person at the box office. Box office hours are Monday to Friday from 5pm-9pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm – 8pm.
Dance Theater Workshop is located at 219 West 19th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, Manhattan.
Ticket buyers who have already purchased tickets for February and March may contact Adam Smith, Front of House Manager (212-691-6500 x214) to receive ticket vouchers.
This offer is not applicable to performances and discussions that are a part of Family Matters Series, Studio Series, Urban Word performances, LobbyTALKS, and FULL SPECTRUM.
Taxing times ahead for Broadway?
Broadway Officials Warn That Ticket Tax Would Cripple Theater Industry
by Patrick Healy, The New York Times, February 3, 2009
by Patrick Healy, The New York Times, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Artists wanted for Bushwick festival
Call to artists of many disciplines
Bushwick SITE Performance Festival
March 7-8, 2009
Presented by Arts In Bushwick
Bushwick SITE Performance Festival
March 7-8, 2009
Presented by Arts In Bushwick
Bushwick SITE Performance Festival is a two-day, multi-site interdisciplinary event, highlighting the diversity of performance in Bushwick. Encompassing theatre, dance, music, and other forms of performance art, SITE seeks to expand the interaction between spectators and spectacle, as both artists and visitors move through spaces, events, media, and styles. You don't have to live or work in Bushwick to participate, all performers and groups are welcome!
SITE centers around three hub spaces: Chez Bushwick, the Bushwick Starr, and Lumenhouse. Performances will also take place in alternate locations including galleries, homes, studios, streets, and gardens. You can register to perform in your own space (as long as it's in Bushwick), or you can register to perform in one of our hub spaces, where you will get space to perform, basic tech, and the support of a space manager and tech manager. Registered performances are promoted through a profile on our website, as well as a listing in our printed map and program.
Registration is open until February 10th, so act fast! Go here for more information on Festival registration, or contact us at performance@artsinbushiwck.org.
Arts In Bushwick is an all-volunteer organization. Our mission is to promote and support local artists, serve the community at large through art education and creative accessibility, and organize all residents and stakeholders in Bushwick to fight development-driven displacement and work toward an integrated, sustainable community. For more information about Arts In Bushwick, check out our website and past events.Jenny Holzer: Writing & Difficulty
Jenny Holzer: Writing & Difficulty
Art21, PBS
Jenny Holzer discusses her difficult relationship to writing during the installation of the exhibition "PROTECT PROTECT" at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Featured works include Red Yellow Looming (2004), Lustmord (2007), Protect Protect deep purple (2007), and For Chicago (2008), among others. The exhibition will travel to the Whitney Museum of American Art in March.
More Holzer here.
Art21, PBS
Jenny Holzer discusses her difficult relationship to writing during the installation of the exhibition "PROTECT PROTECT" at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Featured works include Red Yellow Looming (2004), Lustmord (2007), Protect Protect deep purple (2007), and For Chicago (2008), among others. The exhibition will travel to the Whitney Museum of American Art in March.
More Holzer here.
Fundred: Worth a billion!
Enjoy this video about some of the students involved in FUNDRED, a project initiated by conceptual visual artist Mel Chin.
And here's an interview with Chin.
And here's an interview with Chin.
Volunteer with Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor has been called "the reigning master of modern dance" (Time Magazine) and the Paul Taylor Dance Company, "one of the most exciting, innovative, and delightful dance companies in the entire world" (The New York Times).
The Paul Taylor Dance Company makes its home in New York City and performs each year at New York City Center. In addition the Paul Taylor Dance Company tours extensively, having performed in more than 520 cities in 62 countries since 1954.
The mission of the Paul Taylor Dance Foundation is to share Mr. Taylor’s work and distinct artistic style through performances and educational outreach, ensure that Mr. Taylor has the financial resources to create two new works each year, and to document and preserve Mr. Taylor’s repertory for future generations.
Volunteers are needed for the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s 2009 City Center Season from February 25th through March 15th. Volunteers will assist with the gift shop, patrons lounge and premium ticket holder seating. As usual, volunteers are invited to enjoy the Company’s performance each time they volunteer.
Volunteers must arrive at New York City Center one hour before the performance. We ask that volunteers wear a white shirt and black pants or black skirt. There is a brief volunteer meeting at City Center on Saturday, February 21st at 11am. This meeting is intended to ensure that everyone is familiar with the theater, this year’s merchandise, and volunteer responsibilities.
For more information contact Michael Di Fonzo at: md@ptdc.org or 646-214-5815.
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
Volunteer with Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup
Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup was established to foster and promote an appreciation of the study of the art of movement and dance; to integrate the artistic, cultural, and educational aspects of movement and dance through performances, classes and workshops; and to promote interdisciplinary artistic collaboration among artists in all artistic disciplines.
I am looking for an ongoing volunteer to help with data entry, research for performance, teaching, and funding opportunities, and to help keep e-mail lists up to date and organized. I’d like someone who can come work from my home once a week for three hours, days and times and hours can be flexible.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Stefanie Nelson 347-831-3384, snelson@sndancegroup.org, or visit our Web site for company information.
Thank you.
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
I am looking for an ongoing volunteer to help with data entry, research for performance, teaching, and funding opportunities, and to help keep e-mail lists up to date and organized. I’d like someone who can come work from my home once a week for three hours, days and times and hours can be flexible.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Stefanie Nelson 347-831-3384, snelson@sndancegroup.org, or visit our Web site for company information.
Thank you.
*****
For instructions on how to submit your own request for arts volunteers, please click here.
Brandeis U. and the meaning of art
Closing of Brandeis’s Rose Art Museum, a Stark Statement of Priorities
by Roberta Smith, The New York Times, February 1, 2009
by Roberta Smith, The New York Times, February 1, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
And speaking of everybody dancing now...
Read Karen Russell's wonderful essay in today's New York Times Magazine. It reminded me of Martin Parr's Everybody Dance Now, recently reviewed here.
Disco Papa
by Karen Russell, The New York Times, January 29, 2009
Disco Papa
by Karen Russell, The New York Times, January 29, 2009